This past weekend, I caught the last fifteen minutes of what looked like a long interview with President Bush by Bill O’Reilly on Fox.
This was a different president from what I’ve seen before. He was with one of his own: a fellow far-right conservative. He smiled a lot. He spoke in an unbuttoned, less guarded way than usual, although he was still the typically defensive politician who refused to be drawn into any controversy not of his own making. He ducked a few questions – “what interrogation methods are we talking about?” and “is waterboarding torture?” – but this was all part of the expected cat-and-mouse pantomime of a politician playing the media. He was enjoying himself. His answers shot out easily. Conveniently, all his answers were rote. One had heard them before. (This habit gives Bush the quality of a wind-up doll. It can also make him a total bore. Question: has America become as boring as our president?)
Nevertheless, what I saw changed my whole view of Bush and his presidency.
For one, I’d never seen him this real before. Here at last he was appearing as himself. The actual Oz. Authentic. What you saw was who he was. All natural, relaxed and friendly, shooting the breeze with a confidant. In this informal atmosphere, one big difference stood out between him and any other current politician of a similar standing — Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, John Kerry, John Edwards, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair.
A Big Bang difference. A cosmic gulf.
Bush was a gulf away from them because of one big quality, or lack thereof: he came across as utterly unsophisticated. He was to a different manor — nay, universe — born. So much so, he bordered on the simple-minded. He conversed on the level of a high-school C student. My companion was so disgusted by what she called this “low-end” quality that she left the room.
Maybe it was because Bill O’Reilly ain’t all that sophisticated himself. Still, O’Reilly looked like the smarter guy, which was pretty bizarre, given that Bush is the president.
There is literally no intellectual depth or curiosity or layers to Bush. The man is perfectly uncultured. He said he had read three biographies of Washington, but he said it as if he was reporting on assigned high-school homework. He didn’t make any interesting remarks about Washington, as you’d get from a Clinton or a Gore or a Blair. He merely said historians are still arguing over Washington’s legacy, like they will one day over his. Washington was not a separate figure; no more than a measure. For the rest, Bush’s level of language and thought was as low and flat and empty as a denuded prairie.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Mark Schannon
A lot of fascinating ideas I'd never really considered. Especially, the "dry drunk pathology" and the "banality of harm." I doubt the pro-Bushers will see it, but it's clear you were trying to hold back your more ribald side to paint a thoughtful picture of a bizarre president. Well done.
In Jameson Veritas
2 - Lee Richards
Very interesting opinion piece with the ring of being scary-true, based on the Bush foreign and domestic performance over these 5+ years. I served under an officer who couldn't set and articulate realistic goals because he misunderstood or misconstrued what he had been told to do from the chain of command, and then he blamed those below for not carrying out their duties or cooperating. He was always 100% sure that he was right, and as it turned out 75% of the time, had garbled or confused his instructions. When questioned about this disconnect between reality and his version of things, his typical responses were, "you just don't understand" or "we have no choice." A lot of frustrated effort was wasted because he thought we were "staying the course" when it wasn't the course we should have been on in the first place, except in his head. I agree that Bush doesn't have the intellect, interest, energy or desire to be an outstanding leader;slogans, talking points, distortions, smears and covering behinds are his administration's stock in trade.
3 - gonzo marx
interesting Editorial screed here Adam...
much of what you are laying out there appears to be quite subjective, no problem in an editorial..and the "dry drunk" bit is a fascinating take on the issue
here's a bit for Thought
instead of thinking about it in terms of an alcoholic, perhaps it's arisen from the "12 step" doctrine used to combat the syndrome ...
to wit: the abrogation and rejection of any sort of Personal Responsibility
might i submit the Thought that ANY and ALL religious fundamentalists who live and operate by the dictum of being "a slave to Allah" or under "thy Will be done" are inherently rejecting any sort of personal responsibility for anything they do or say completely, as well as rejecting the entire concept of free Will
when approached in that Light, many historical examples of individuals and cultures become much more clear
how simple is it for the *priest class/mullahs* to manipulate the faithful who have *submitted* their free Will and Responsibility by simply lying that they (those priests) know the "Will of [insert god here]"
this also clarifies the types of delusional behavior spoken about in this Article
just a Thought
Excelsior?
4 - Adam Ash
Gonzo:
I think you're onto something there, about the 12-step doctrine as an explanation for Bush's psychology. I wish I knew more about it, so I could think about it some more. Thanks for the pointer.
Lee, you're right.
Mark, thanks. I worked very hard at this. If I knew more about the 12-step thing, I could've delved deeper into the Dry Drunk Pathology. As it is DDP explains a lot already.
5 - Adam Ash
Talking about pathology, how is this to be explained?
During an interview on ABC's "This Week," host George Stephanopoulos asked where James Baker's Iraq proposal fell between "stay the course" and "cut and run." Bush asnwered: "Well, hey, listen, we've never been 'stay the course,' George."
Is Bush insane?
Moreover:
On Monday, press secretary Tony Snow said it was inaccurate to describe U.S. policy in Iraq as "stay the course."
Question: "Is the president responsible for the fact people think it's stay the course since he's, in fact, described it that way himself?"
Snow: "No."
Is Snow insane?
Are these guys in a Keystone Cops movie or what?
Has any administration in the history of the world been this bizarre? Has any administration in the history of the world had a bigger problem with the truth?
Adam
6 - JustOneMan
Oh Adam...great article...I too was takin back by his moronic Alfred E. Newman style...me an my ahem..."significant other"...(we live in NJ so we are so happy about recent events that we dont have to move to Friscooo)..enough about me.
Can you believe that he really is centered in his beliefs! My word! And he really believs that the this God of his really stopped him form drinking! Absurd...
What really got be is that he means what he say! What kind of president is this...oh how I long for Bill Clinton..a time when words were supposed to just sound good...but not really count or mean anything!
And finally...Bush really believes that these terrorist are well...terrorist! What planet does he come from....We all know that he, Cheney and Rove planted the explosives in the world trade towers and had their CIA buddies pretend to Arabs and fly those planes into the buildings...for some reason I just cant figure out who told all the Jews not to show up for work on 911!
Great article keep up the good work...with you and the other posters like you I am sure we will all get what we deserve in the end...
JustOneMan....
7 - Adam Ash
I was wondering why the pro-Bushits were staying in the woodwork -- and then out pops JustOneMan!
Funny thing, though, he doesn't seem to respond to the article, but to some strawdog his own making. What is this supposed to mean?
"We all know that he, Cheney and Rove planted the explosives in the world trade towers and had their CIA buddies pretend to Arabs and fly those planes into the buildings...for some reason I just cant figure out who told all the Jews not to show up for work on 911!"
If it's sarcasm, it's hopelessly misguided, since I don't know anyone whio believes that.
Hey, JustOneMan, are you perhaps also suffering from DDP? Or are you another scaredy-cat Bushit wimp who thinks there's a terrorist under your bed? Do you need Mommy to tuck you in?
Adam
8 - JustOneMan
Oh no Adam...I am now one of the Believers...after reading the post you and others like you I realize that I have been wrong!
Bush is actual the evildoer seeking to enslave all Americans to work for Halibourton once he and Cheney are out of office!!! I now think and believe as others on the left that Bush is a very dangerous man...he believes in God, marraige os between man and a women, we shouldnt rip fetuses out of womens stomachs to cure Michael J Fox, and worst of all in Mom and apple pie!
If I still believed in God (which I gave up to join the Democratic left) I would consider him the Devil,,(but I cant cause then I would have to believe in god)
No Adam I am now one of you or one of us...something like that
9 - Adam Ash
JustOneMan:
You are attacking a figment of your imagination.
You say in your lame parody: "we shouldnt rip fetuses out of womens stomachs to cure Michael J Fox ..."
Who in hell's name advocates that? Certainly not anyone on the left.
Shouldn't you be taking your meds, JustOneMan, before you indulge yourself in such weird fantasies?
Adam
10 - JustOneMan
Oh Adam...my brother in the cause...to do stem cell research we must have fresh supplies of fetuses...or else Michael J. Fox may never be able to do another Back to the Future movie! We must not let our Hollywood brethren down...
No parody I now believe..the left is where I belong...the left is where I belong...the left is where I belong...
11 - Adam Ash
JustOneMan:
Say after me ... I believe in reason ... I will never write stoopid stuff like "... to do stem cell research we must have fresh supplies of fetuses...or else Michael J. Fox may never be able to do another Back to the Future movie!" again ...
I will be a rational JustOneMan.
Say that, and you can be brother in the cause of reason, and move out of your house of stupid hyperbole.
Adam
12 - JustOneMan
No no my good man enough about me ...lets get back to your wonderful article!
It also boggles my mind, to be patronized by the likes of Bush -- by someone so unsophisticated. My good Adam...just one look at the fine picture of you posted here on Blogcritics can see the advanced level of sophistication eminating from that fine do of yours and our mutual appreciation of masturbation, Tequila and weed...without a doubt prove our supiority!
JustOneMan
13 - Adam Ash
JustOneMan:
I'm glad to see you coming round. But I must point out that our crowd is not about "superiority" -- that's a quality best left to snot-nosed Yalies like Bush. Surely you're not a snot-nosed Yalie?
Adam
14 - JustOneMan
Me no I wouldnt be seen with one of those snot nose YAle bastards...Bush and all his power hungry republican Yale alumni buddies like John Kerry, Al Gore, Bill and Hillary Clinton...hey wait a minute arent all these snot nose bastards in our party?
15 - Lee Richards
JustOneMan: If you wanted to be even a little fair and accurate, you could have considered these words in Adam's piece before misinterpreting and twisting what he wrote:"Bush is far from evil. He doesn't knowingly do bad."
What Adam does charge is: rote answers; no intellectual depth or curiosity; flat and empty language and thought; inflexible and non-adaptive; ideology reigns supreme over reality; knee-jerk paranoia-style conservatism that needs an enemy to exist--all of which also pretty well describe your illogical, overly-emotional and inaccurate comments.
16 - JustOneSmarterMan
"rote answers; no intellectual depth or curiosity; flat and empty language and thought; inflexible and non-adaptive; ideology reigns supreme over reality; knee-jerk paranoia-style conservatism that needs an enemy to exist--all of which also pretty well describe your illogical, overly-emotional and inaccurate comments."
I'm sorry are we still talking about Bush or are we talking about JustOneMan(Dan Rhiel)?
17 - Adam Ash
Lee:
There's something truly bizarre about JustOneMan and his ilk, which includes the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
They alwasy erect a straw man and then they attack that, and the straw man has nothing in common with the person they're attacking.
It's like they need false idols to attack, so they create these idols out of whole cloth, a little like Bush creates this huge massive clash of civilizations out of mad behavior of a few thousand crazy bad terrorists.
It used to be called the paranoid style of politics, but I think it should be rephrazed.
It's more likely the hysterical style of politics. I find conservatives much given to hysteria. I wonder why that is -- are they all compensating for small weenies or something? It's something in their very psychology. Take the Limbaugh coinage of Feminazis. Why is he being so hysterical? And why is huis hysteria so appealing to his followers? What's with this over-emotional reacting? Are there any shrinks out there who can explain it?
Adam
18 - JustOneMan
Justonesmarter... I am not dan..we grew up together and i read his blog everyday...you mistakenly referenced my link to his site as my url....my writing style is alittle different..
But now that I am on the left I find him boorish!
Adam & i understand THAT bush is the real evildoing 911 planning, halibourtin, biG oil profiteer!
19 - Adam Ash
I see a water tower and a rifle in JustOneMan's future.
20 - JustOneMan
I am sure you would approve adam as long as its goin after those other guys!
From the Left...JustOneMan
21 - Adam Ash
What "other" guys, JOM?
22 - STM
Geez, Adam, being inside George's mind would be a scary place to be I reckon. I'm no supporter of Bush. However, let's not think the guy is a dope. I don't believe for one moment that is the case, although you are right: he isn't very sophisticated.
I say, so what? But as usual, the tail is wagging the dog so I'm inclined to believe that because he's not very sophisticated, he's been sucked in, as you've pointed out, by some really bad advice.
But I actually think that politically, off the world stage, the bloke is as cunning as a shit-house rat.
PS, I'd be immobilised too if someone told me that two jets had just been flown into the WTC.
Actually, I was immobilised ... or at least riveted to the TV.
And JOM, can we quit the conspiracy theories. The whole thing's a crock.
23 - Adam Ash
STM:
Bush is no dope, but his lack of sophistication -- remarkably unique in a world leader -- makes him sometimes seem like a dope.
He might be as cunning as a shithouse rat. Except he doesn't seem very practical. He is surrounded by incompetent ideologues -- no pragmatism there.
The man is still a bit of a mysery to me. It seems like he's missing some parts. How can anybody be so wrong-headed and also so truth-defying? Like when he says he's never been about "stay the course" when he's said it over and over. Truly bizarre, to be so openly and publicly dishonest.
He may be the most dishonest man in America, let alone be the most dishonest president we've ever had.
I've gotten so used to Bush lying, it'll be odd having a President after him who is like most presidents -- usually honest.
Bush has certainly set the bar lower than low.
Adam
24 - Kyle
One thing I've noticed about extremists, whether they be extreme left or right, is that they both spout vitriol and disgust at anyone that doesn't agree with them. They are condescending and often hateful as well.
I consider myself to be a good bit left of center without being militant about it and try as much as possible to be understanding of those who disagree with me. It would be nice if JustOneMan could do the same. I think we might be a little more open to hearing his arguments rather than being immediately turned off by his manner.
25 - STM
Also Adam, if George Bush was in a 12-step program, it's unlikely he would be President (although possibly, it wouldn't have been a bad thing).
The reason: participating in 12 step programs is no abrogation of personal responsibility, but rather the other way around.
Two of the key facets, and those of AA in particular (which is what I'd call "quietly spiritual") are the exercise of humility and non-judgment.
They encourage people to acknowledge their dark sides, if you like, and to put them aside so that it's no longer a driving force and to instead practise interacting with their fellow human beings in a loving, compassionate, and tolerant fashion. Not bad goals, those.
It is less to do about God (or whatever you want that to mean) than it is about actually practising both acceptance and personal responsibility.
So many views of AA are wrong. It is a mighty good thing for those who need it, and has changed many lives for the better.
Like anywhere, there are people involved who are pains in the butt but generally, they also don't tell people what to believe, how to believe it, or even try to stop people from leaving. They also own virtually no property, despite millions of members worldwide. Which means it ain't a cult.
So George might have benefited if he really is a dry drunk. And if he is, my suggestion is that he either goes to AA or has a beer - immediately. Under supervision of course! Perhaps he and Tony should get out on the squirt. Both certainly need to get out more, period.
Cheers!!